Why I Won’t Be Winning an Oscar Tonight

Unless something truly unexpected and miraculous happens, I won’t be winning an Oscar tonight.

When I was in college, I was part of a small acting group. We had a good time, performed some plays, and went on a something like a tour. I really enjoyed acting in general and especially the ability to do anything that was comedic.

When I transferred to a new college my acting “career” died. Why? Because I was too afraid to audition at the larger school. (No audition was required of me at the smaller school.)

I took some acting classes at the new school and did quite well in them. I even remember doing a particularly moving monologue about Jesus that blew my secular classmates away. Still, I never did any acting outside of the classroom because I was afraid to audition.

While at that school, I learned that they were going to have a stand-up comedy competition. On a lark, I entered the competition and did a few minutes of stand-up comedy in front of an audience of something like 1,000 UGA students. To my great astonishment and surprise, I won. It was crazy and so much fun.

Because I had won, I got to open for a professional comedian when he came to perform at the school a few months later, but that was my entire comedy “career” because even though I had never had a problem speaking in front of a large group of people, I was just too afraid to audition in front of judges or decision makers to perform anywhere else.

Looking back, I regret fear had such a hold on me. I doubt I would have ended up being a professional actor or comedian, and I know God has me where He wants me now, but I’m sure I missed out on some wonderful experiences acting or doing comedy at college and in small venues.

And, you never know what could have happened. I might have been the next Chris Farley. I might have won an award for the best pratfall in a low budget movie.

As I said here, I’m determined that 2014 will be a year where I live as fearlessly as possible.

What about you?

What small fears, or large ones, are holding you back from being everything God has created you to be? What will you wish you had done today ten years from now? What’s really stopping you?

Don’t hold back. Go for it. Face the audition and go for it.

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